H D - S E N S E I

A view on
Hi-def
discs by Gary W. Tooze

Introduction:
Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film
since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was
around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my
horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out
new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500
DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my
discussion Listserv for furthering my film
education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver.
Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our
Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible
HERE.

Product Description: Experience the peril and intensity of free-diving the world
s most dangerous sport in The Big Blue. Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr
Breaking The Waves) and his friendly rival Enzo (Jean Reno The
Professional) are considered masters of free-diving and have made a career
out of this one-of-a-kind competition. Jacques life-long obsession with diving
comes from his unusual bond with the sea while Enzo thrives on the challenges of
its inherent danger. In his travels Jacques meets Johanna (Rosanna Arquette
Pulp Fiction) who is attracted to his innocent qualities and follows him
across Europe to share his adventures triumphs and ultimately tragic bond with
Enzo. With breathtaking underwater photography and matching musical support from
Eric Serra (The Fifth Element) The Big Blue immerses you in a life and
death adventure you'll never forget. Starring: Rosanna Arquette Jean-Marc Barr
and Jean Reno...

The Film:

Anyone who saw the
magnificent
Leon would agree that director Luc Besson is a
truly gifted man. He has for years been making slick,
stylish, visually arresting movies that combine serious
themes with flashes of comic brilliance. He made his
name in France in the `80s with three amazing films:
Subway and
La Femme Nikita, both fast-moving action-type
movies, and this one.

Besson here gives us a very different experience than we
are used to from him; a languid, meditative exploration
not of the sea itself, but of its effect on two men
whose draw to it comes dangerously close to obsession.
The aquiline Jean-Marc Barr gives a performance that has
stayed with him his whole life as free-diver Jaques
Mayol and Besson's favourite actor, Jean Reno (Leon
himself) is a superb foil as Enzo - Mayol's friend and
rival...

Firstly - this definitely is region free and does play
on
Blu-ray
machines worldwide. This is such a beautiful film that
it's hard to know where the magnificent cinematography
ends and the 1080P definition takes over in presenting
us with such a stellar image. I actually owned this on
LaserDisc (anyone remember that?) but this is the
'extended version' mostly in French with optional
English subtitles. Some of Rosanne Arquette is DUBb'ed
but some is in her wonderfully expressive English voice.
This 1080P image from
Paramount (Gaumont logo starts) looks quite exceptional on
Blu-ray.
Colors are vibrant and detail very strong for a 20-year
old film.
The image isn't flawless with
background noise in many of the widescreen ocean-scapes
or sky vistas. Black levels are acceptable but not
pristine. It's damage-free and exhibits some healthy depth at
times. The dual-layered disc (feature
taking up a whopping 33 Gig!) is at the high end of
Blu-ray
transfer status in my opinion. It's an MPEG4
encode and easily the best I've seen this film look. I
am highly impressed and love to watch this film - even
in segments simply for its beautiful visuals.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Audio & Music:
A
DTS-HD Master
track in French is the only option. The DUBb'ed dialogue
is weak at times but Eric Serra's score (it was a Bill
Conti original track on the US, shorter, version) is
gentle and moving - sounding just right to match the
narrative. This is not an aggressive
soundtrack with a minimum of effect noises and the mix
will probably under-whelm those seeking a strong workout
from the rear speakers. There are a few subtle
separations - nice ocean sounds - which I tend to
appreciate more, and overall it sounds pretty crisp
without strong dynamic range. There are French and
English subtitle options.

Extras:
Nothing of a supplementary nature of the first
Blu-ray
disc - just the feature film. But this is pretty
cool - we get another
Blu-ray
disc transfer - on a second region-free disc (single
layered) - with Besson's 'Atlantis'
from 1999. It's akin to a documentary but with no
dialogue at all. There is some minor French at the
beginning but then its 1 hour 20 minutes of beautiful
underwater images (2.35 1080P) and wonderful music
accompaniment (also an Eric Serra's score in
DTS-HD!).
I'd never seen this film before - it extremely enjoyable
and the soundtrack is exquisite.

Lastly we get a third disc - a PAL DVD - with a 1 1/2
hour "Making of..." (French only - no subs) and a 41
minute 'Festival de Cannes' press conference (also only
in French).

Bottom line:
I would have bought this on
Blu-ray
even without the English subtitles - so you know
where I am coming from. The high-definition image
quality exceeded my expectations and the inclusion of
'Atlantis' in hi-def makes for an even easier sell.
Those expandable screen grabs should give you a good
idea of the image transfer is for Le Grande Bleu.
I feel like I've made a great find here